Securing a battery - help needed please

Hi Tony, l had the same problem with my Atlas. I found some Velcro straps in a charity shop and thought they could be handy. I put a hole in each piece, used a couple of stainless bolts and fixed it all in the existing holes. All seems to work ok. Regards Neil.

MB5U @  L=5.35"  is NG!

Type: YB5L-B. battery Family: High Performance, Conventional. Voltage: 12. Capacity (10-HR):, 5. Dimensions: L 4 3⁄4 in. x W 2 3⁄8 in. x H 5 1⁄8 in.

Once you know what the correct battery is, you no longer need to bodge.it!

It's all about the "length"

I have never come accross an old bike with its battery fittings intact   Most have a few blocks of rubber or offcuts of pipe insulation  wedging the battery in place  or stuck to the back of the cover. My 99 has a  leather  skate strap  ( vintage Jacko !)  which works fine . If you have a few bikes then having a collection of batteries to maintain becomes a chore. Switching batteries around  was  common.  Bikes in the UK  were rarely playthings . They usually got completely  wore out and bodged just to keep going for daily transport.  The USA  was a different scene. 

I have recently seen a 1959 ES2 with most of its original parts including the metal battery strap with the correct bar and nuts in place.  It's likely that all previous owners in the last 60 years have fitted the correct size battery.  On a Commando, I fitted a MotoBatt battery suitable for the model, and I was impressed by the adaptors that come in a small bag underneath the packaging.  With these items you can mount the connections either on the side or on the top of the battery terminals. Most MotoBatt items come with terminals at all four corners of the top which means that provided you order the correct size you can reverse the wiring to suit the battery position by just turning it around.  I wait to see if the new AGM format MotoBatt will last as long as the previous acid-filled Yuasa version which was fitted in September 2012. My battery strap had rotted [machine is used all year around] so I made one out of old bicycle inner tubes. 

Security of the battery is very important, which is why it comes into an MoT.  (Which our old nails don't need!).  The "U" shaped bolt & bracket system is VERY secure for when the bike falls over or you take a sideways sliding trip!  What you don't want is a wet lead-acid battery falling over and possibly out of the bike!

I would only trust Velcro straps if I tested them first.  Very easy.  Fix one end in a vice and try hard to pull them apart - in line with the joint.  Forget about elastics of any type.

Another tip - back in the dark ages we used to be able to buy rubberised paint for acid-proofing the inside of the battery box.  Dunno if it's still around but what is better is plastic in the form of epoxy resin.  I use the glass-clear type for various things.  It's runny and you can paint the inside (or anything you fancy) with an old paintbrush you don't want anymore.

I faced a similar issue to you with my 650. I am using a 7AH AGM battery, and the issue I faced was that the standard angle iron and U-shaped rod battery retainer would have shorted out the battery terminals.

My solution was to make up a small wooden tray to hold the battery clear of the 2 battery box mounting bolts at the bottom of the box, and adding a pair of home made stainless 'hooks' for a generic battery strap to attach to.

Batt 1 shows it in place, while Batt 2 and 3 show  the hooks.

I personally don't care if it is nothing like original - I'm the only one who looks in there. What I do know is that it works well.

Don't be put off by Lionels comment re 'elastic', as virtually every bike built in the last 50 years has had the battery secured using flat rubber straps, but if he meant bungee cord, then I would agree as the round profile will eat into the battery case.  

Hope this helps,

George 

.. George - a lick of paint and that wood will look as if it was put in at Bracebridge Street....

Hi Tony,

Whilst I can see that you have an AGM type battery, I can't make out any anti vibration mat for it?

I too have an AGM one, but it sits on 1/8" rubber sheet, with more between the battery and back of the box to shield it a bit from the vibes of a 650. 

Maybe you are confident that AGM batteries are ok with vibration? I wasn't too sure hence the rubber.

Regards,

George.